Courteney Cox

"Honesty is the key to a relationship. If you can fake that, you're in." -Courteney Cox

She starred as Monica on NBC's Friends for 10 seasons, and proved she could take on the big screen with roles in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and the successful Scream series.

SEX APPEAL

As much as we love spunky girls, Courteney kind of reminds us of the annoying aunt we try to avoid every Thanksgiving. It was Courteney herself who once said "I am Monica," referring to the television character that made her famous. Anyone who has seen Friends knows that her character plays a demanding perfectionist. And that's not very sexy.

Her neurotic nature aside, Courteney has been looking like a goddess ever since she gave birth to her daughter in 2004 (just see 2005's The Longest Yard; Courteney hasn't looked that great in a dress since Ace Ventura). And the fact that she drives a Jag and a silver Porsche Carrera is pretty hot.

SUCCESS

Before hitting it big as Monica on Friends, Courteney Cox was better known as Michael J. Fox's girlfriend on the '80s sitcom Family Ties and the babe in the Springsteen video for "Dancing in the Dark."

1994 can be considered Cox's huge year, as she starred as Jim Carrey's love interest in the mega-hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and made her debut as neurotic chef Monica Gellar on NBC's Friends.

Like most of her Friends co-stars, Courteney has tried to parlay her TV success into a big-screen career. Though she hasn't actually headlined any movie project on her own, she was an integral part of the Scream trilogy, and appeared in 2001's 3000 Miles to Graceland and 2005's The Longest Yard.

She will be busy in 2005 and 2006, with roles in Alpha Dog and 2006's Barnyard (she lends her voice to "Daisy") and Zoom.

Courteney took some time off after giving birth in June 2004 to Coco Riley, her daughter with actor David Arquette. Courteney teamed up with David to produce the interior design show Mix It Up, which airs on WE: Women's Entertainment.

Courteney Cox Biography

Courteney Bass Cox was born in Birmingham, Alabama on June 15, 1964. The youngest of four children, Courteney was closest with her father, Richard, who was a contractor (he passed away in 2001). Her parents were divorced in 1974 -- her mother Courteney remarried Hunter Copeland, a businessman, in 1976, while her dad remarried in 1975. Courteney remained in Alabama with her mother and stepfather.

Courteney attended Mountain Brook High School and kept busy with activities like tennis, swimming and cheerleading.

courteney cox the model

In 1982, Courteney graduated from high school and began studying architecture at Mount Vernon College in Washington. She dropped out after a year to pursue a modeling career as a Ford model. Her portfolio includes magazine covers like Tiger Beat and Little Miss, as well as commercials for Maybelline, Noxzema and Tampax -- as a matter of fact, she was the first person in American TV history to utter the word "period" on the air.

While living in New York in the early '80s, Courteney met Ian Copeland, her stepfather's nephew. The two worked at F.B.I. (Frontier Booking International), a concert booking agency in New York, in 1984. That same year, Courteney gained national exposure when director Brian De Palma selected her from a group of over 300 contenders to star as the girl Bruce Springsteen pulls onstage to dance with him at the end of his "Dancing in the Dark" video.

courteney cox on family ties

In 1985, Courteney appeared in the NBC series Misfits of Science, which was canceled several months later. In 1987, she landed the role of Lauren Miller, Michael J. Fox's girlfriend on Family Ties.

When Family Ties ended in 1989, Courteney tried to build a career in the film industry, but she was unsuccessful. The disappointing movies on her resume from 1988 to 1993 include Cocoon: The Return, Mr. Destiny, Blue Desert, Shaking the Tree, and The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them. Courteney claims that her romance with actor Michael Keaton, which lasted from 1989 to 1995, was one of the reasons behind her failed film career, as the relationship was too time-consuming.

courteney cox in friends

That all changed in 1994, when she starred as Jim Carrey's girlfriend, Melissa Robinson, in the hit film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. That same year, she could be seen as Monica Geller on NBC's Friends, which remained her ultimate role until the show ended in 2004. Interestingly enough, Courteney actually auditioned for the role of bratty Rachel Green, which went to real-life best friend, Jennifer Aniston.

While Courteney was enjoying the benefits of Friends' incredible success (each cast member successfully negotiated their way to a $1 million per episode salary), she appeared as journalist Gale Weathers in 1996's Scream, and reprised the role in the film's sequels in 1997 and 2000.

courteney weds david arquette

Scream was more than a success -- it was where Courteney met her husband, David Arquette. Arquette starred as geeky Deputy Dwight "Dewey" Riley, and married Courteney on June 12, 1999.

In addition to roles in The Runner (1999), 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), The Shrink Is In (2001), Get Well Soon (2001), Alien Love Triangle (2002), and November (2004), Courteney had a bit part in 2005's The Longest Yard.

courteney cox does mix it up

In May 2004, millions of viewers tuned in to watch the Friends finale, which couldn't have come at a better time, as she gave birth to daughter Coco Riley Arquette on June 13, 2004.

Courteney has still been keeping busy with her interior design show, Mix It Up, which she co-produces with David, and roles in movies like 2005's Alpha Dog and 2006's Barnyard and Zoom.